as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis
female pandas are receptive to copulation for a short time once a year
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Recent Examples of copulation
She was booked on allegations of sending harmful material to a juvenile, oral copulation and digital penetration.
—
Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Samantha Josephine Watson, 41, of Eastvale, was booked at the Robert Presley Jail on Friday on suspicion of sending harmful material to a juvenile, oral copulation and digital penetration, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 22 May 2026
In California, a jury in 2023 found Weinstein guilty of three counts — forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by foreign object — against Jane Doe 1.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Berera was initially charged with committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, court records show, but those counts were dropped through the plea deal.
—Nate Gartrell, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Berera was initially charged with committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, court records show, but those counts were dropped through the plea deal.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
The Valley overlaps geographically with the hippie homeland of San Francisco, Berkeley, and their environs, and there’s long been cross-pollination, if not orgiastic copulation, between the two spheres.
—Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
Brian Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Samantha Josephine Watson, 41, of Eastvale, was booked at the Robert Presley Jail on Friday on suspicion of sending harmful material to a juvenile, oral copulation and digital penetration, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 22 May 2026
In California, a jury in 2023 found Weinstein guilty of three counts — forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and penetration by foreign object — against Jane Doe 1.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Berera was initially charged with committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, court records show, but those counts were dropped through the plea deal.
—Nate Gartrell, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Berera was initially charged with committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, court records show, but those counts were dropped through the plea deal.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
The Valley overlaps geographically with the hippie homeland of San Francisco, Berkeley, and their environs, and there’s long been cross-pollination, if not orgiastic copulation, between the two spheres.
—Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
Brian Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copulation
Noun
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Ironically, stiff upper lips seem to have almost vanished as both sexes burst into tears if anything either lovely or lousy happens to them.—
Jilly Cooper,
Vogue,
7 Oct. 2025
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From then on, officers of both sexes had the same roles, training, equipment, and pay benefits, consolidating the presence of women in the Swedish police force and ending decades of symbolic and practical restrictions.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Your Sex Drive in Your 60s and Beyond Close to 50% of women over the age of 60 suffer from vaginal dryness, decreased vaginal lubrication, pain during intercourse and trouble, or inability, to reach an orgasm.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
18 May 2026
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Wilzig told the Miami Herald in a 2002 profile that intercourse and naked bodies were beautiful and natural, and no one should be embarrassed by talking about the topic.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The park is a stop on the Indiana Birding Trail, offering chances to see a diverse array of species at different stages of migration, mating and raising their young.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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Durrell alternates between slapstick domestic high jinks, wanderings through the lush natural landscape, and increasingly ambitious investigations of biological life, from tracking twitching bacteria in pond water to the mating habits of insects.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Sri Lanka holds an important geopolitical position given its proximity and cultural ties to India but also close relations with China – its biggest lender – without forgetting the United States as its largest export market.—
Danish Manzoor Bhat,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Dec. 2025
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Her current practice includes domestic relations matters, along with civil, state and federal criminal defense.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Copulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copulation. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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